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Everyone should set a reading goal! Reading is so beneficial for you: both for your mind and for your character. How can we prioritize reading this year? By setting reading goals! Read on to learn about some benefits of reading and why you should set a reading goal. I also give some great recommendations for your next favorite read.
S2E29 – How to Celebrate Lent as a Protestant – A More Beautiful Life Collective Podcast
The season of Lent is a time in the Church Calendar to observe a period of preparation before the joyous season of Easter. Lent reminds us of the beauty of self-denial and obedience as we await our future resurrection. Today, we'll talk about how to celebrate Lent as a Protestant. This is a beautiful tradition that deserves a place in your year!Read more at the blog post: https://amorebeautifullifecollective.com/how-to-celebrate-lent-as-a-protestant/ Get our 1 page guide to Lent here: https://a-more-beautiful-life-collective.kit.com/e3a84b5a60 Get the Celebrating the Church Calendar Guide here: https://amorebeautifullifecollective.com/product/church-calendar-guide-a-pdf-guide-to-all-the-seasons-of-the-liturgical-year/ …Visit our Shop to get a copy of any of the resources mentioned in this episode: I’m your host, Cayce Fletcher, and you canlearn a little bit more about me here. While you’re here, would you consider leaving a comment, rating, or review? You can find our podcast,A More Beautiful Life Collective Podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts. Listen onSpotify orApple Podcasts, or watch onYouTube. Subscribe to the blog for access to our latest content and some freebies. Want to support A More Beautiful Life Collective in the creation of podcasts, posts, and other resources? You can make a one-time, monthly, or yearly donation here. I love creating and sharing resources with you. You can find all of our resources atA More Beautiful Life Collective Shop.Keep creating a life you love, and cultivating your heart for God.
Hey everyone, and welcome to Season 2 Episode 28! We are already in February. There’s a commercial that I recently saw that said that the second Friday in January is known as Quitter’s Day. I looked it up, and yes, it’s a real thing. Quitter’s Day has come and passed. How are we doing on those New Year’s resolutions?
The best way to keep going on all our goals is to keep them continually in front of you. One of my goals each year is to cultivate my reading life. In the last episode, we discussed the importance of pursuing Mother Culture. If we want to live a life that cultivates contagious delight, we need to prioritize the pursuit of what is good, true, and beautiful in our own lives.
A key step in pursuing Mother Culture is to read! You should read often, read widely, and read deeply. Read for comfort, and read to expand your horizon. Re-read your favorites. And, read outside of your comfort zone. Read for knowledge, and read for fun!
One of my favorite ways to start my day is cozied up under a blanket with a coffee in my hand and a book on my lap. I take a book with me wherever I go, and I listen and watch people who are readers and recommend the best books.
Reading – just like all great hobbies – becomes a lifestyle that affects your life.
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Why should you read?
In a culture that values technology and productivity above all else, reading is frequently pushed aside. Our thinking is getting shallower as we jump from site to site and video to video. We can see the effects of this kind of content in the shortening of information over time. We’ve gone from books to movies to TV shows to now shorts and reels.
Why should we break the mold and participate in the counter-cultural act of reading? Some of the benefits of reading include:
- Better Social Skills – Reading helps to develop empathy and foster connection with perspective-taking while teaching social skills and allows for “rehearsal” of universal experiences.
- Stronger Mental Processes – Reading strengthens cognitive processes by activating different areas of the brain. It also can improve memory.
- Improves Knowledge – Reading is important because it helps to build background knowledge and improves language, vocabulary, writing, and conversation skills.
- Reduces Stress – Reading for as little as six minutes can decrease stress by up to 68%. It improves sleep.
The act of reading has so many benefits. It simply is a healthy habit to have – just like exercise and getting enough sleep. Setting reading goals will help you to reap all of these benefits.
Why Literature Still Matters
As we’ve seen, the act of reading is beneficial for us for several reasons. Does it matter what kind of things we read? Does reading a BuzzFeed article produce the same benefits as Shakespeare?
There is a difference in the language between popular fiction (mostly written at a 7th-grade reading level) and the classics of the past. This difference will affect the vocabulary and other skills gained from reading the book.
But, the difference goes beyond this utilitarian approach to reading.
Reading matters because stories matter. Knowledge matters. The past matters.
The Literary Life Podcast has made it its mission to revive a culture of reading that is based on an older understanding of stories and their importance. In an interview with Jason Baxter, author of Why Literature Still Matters, they emphasize the importance of deep reading to engage with ideas that change us. Reading develops our love, and when we read what is good, true, and beautiful, we become those things.
One of our reading goals should be to read great literature that changes us.
Visit A More Beautiful Life Collective Shop for bible studies, planners, and other resources.
Reading Goals: Read Great Books
Today, the marker of a good book is often something that is a ‘page-turner.’ When reading, we often just want to ‘get through’ a book. The act of savoring is something that is fading away. But, truly great literature desires to be savored. In our enjoyment of the story, we don’t want it to end. We are content to move slowly and encounter greatness.
What types of books demand this type of reading? Often, it is the great books of the past – the ‘classics.’ Reading itself has benefits, but there is a lot of junk food that is out there today. When we solely rely on the junk food of reading, we will find ourselves in an unhealthy state of mind.
Not all books are worthwhile. When we read things filled with messages that are counter to what we know to be good and right, we will find ourselves veering off the good and right path ourselves. We have to use discernment in our reading.
A fast-paced book that makes us want to keep turning the page is not a marker of a book that is worth reading. Instead, a worthwhile book is one that:
- Inspires us to both a greater love of God and man
- Forces us to turn our inner gaze on the good, true, and beautiful things
- Changes us to become more good, true, and beautiful ourselves
Books should change our character – not just because they help us to empathize with others (a common argument in grade schools today – but because by interacting with them we learn the right way to be.
This is why we have to read books that are written with the influence of a Christian culture. I’m not talking about Christian fiction or books that are sanitized twaddle. Both Anna Karenina and Crime and Punishment are gritty novels that dwell on the darkest parts of mankind, but they both point us towards good and right ways to be while showing us the cautions of veering from the right paths.
Want to Cultivate Your Reading Life?
We have some great tips for cultivating your reading life in the following posts:
- 4 Steps to Cultivate a Reading Life
- Tips for Reading More This Year
- How to Read More Books (from A Humble Place)
Some tips to read more are (1) to not get stuck in a book, (2) to keep a book close by, and (3) to read a few pages in a book every day.
Setting Reading Goals
One of the best ways to read more is to set a reading goal for the year. There are lots of different options for reading goals. You could set up several books that you want to read in a year. You could choose to do a reading challenge based on the topic of the book. Or you could pick a reading challenge someone’s already created. (And there are lots of reading challenges to choose from!)
Reading goals are beneficial because:
- They help you to pace your reading. If you know that you want to read 52 books in a year, setting a reading goal can help you feel motivated to pick up a book instead of scrolling on your phone. You know that you need to read at least one book a week, so you are motivated to get that book done.
- They help to push you to read more widely. Reading challenges often feature different types of books that you might not necessarily pick up. Checking off the box will help you to get out of your comfort zone.
- They help you to connect with others. When you set reading goals in a group, you can help to cultivate the reading life both for yourself and others. Want to do something even better? Create a book club to motivate you to meet your goals and connect with others!
What are some options for reading goals?
- Set a number of books you want to read this year. This is the most common type of reading goal. Simply pick a number, and then pace out your reading based on that number. The most common is probably 52 books which equals to a book a week. Other options include 12 books (1 book a month), 24 books (1 book every 2 weeks), or 104 books (2 books a week). You can get our 50-book reading coloring tracker here.
- Pick a few topics that you want to read this year and read widely about that topic. The best example of this type of reading goal is the Scholé Sister’s 5×5 reading challenge. They recommend picking 5 topics and reading 5 books about each of those topics. This will guide your reading and help you to become an ‘expert’ (or at least way more knowledgeable) about that topic.
- Choose a reading challenge with lots of different types of books to choose from. You can get the AMBL book bingo challenge which features several different categories that will help you to expand your reading horizons this year.
- Find a book list with lots of different books to choose from. A book list can give you specific examples of books that will help you to read with discernment and choose the best books to offer.
The Best Book Lists for Meeting Your Reading Goals
After you set your reading goal, the next step is to find a great book to read. The AMBL Book Bingo Challenge can help to guide your reading. But, what specific books should you read? Check out some of these book lists to find your next great read.
Book Lists for Preschoolers and Children:
One of the beauties of reading is the way that stories connect us with those around us. We all have fond memories of snuggling up during read-alouds – whether with our parents or with our kids – and connecting over our favorite books. Stories are so beneficial for our children, and they can help to strengthen our family culture.
Here are some great recommendations for preschoolers and children. Some are picture books, and some are longer chapter books. But, all will spark the imagination of you and your children.
It’s up to you whether you count picture books in your reading goals. Some people do! You could also use these lists to help your children pick books to meet their own reading goals. Some of us never got to read this classic children’s literature as a child. Consider reading some of these titles yourself!
Book Lists for Adults (and mature readers)
If you are looking for great books to read yourself, check out these book lists. Here you’ll find recommendations of stories to spark your imagination and to redeem your education. There are great works of classic literature – from Plato to Dickens to Shakespeare – and great books that you may have never heard of – like The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge.
I’m sure you’ll find your next favorite novel from these lists.
2024 Reading Recap + My Top 5 Books for 2024
I actually did very well on my reading goals in 2024. I use GoodReads to track my reading. (You can add friend me here.) My Reading Goal for 2024 was 52 books, and I ended up reading 97 books! Here are my top 5 books from 2024:
1. Becoming Elisabeth Elliot by Ellen Vaughn
This is a beautifully written biography of Elisabeth Elliot. I was inspired by both Elliot’s story as well as Vaughn’s writing itself. Vaughn doesn’t shy away from the complicated parts of Elliot’s life, but even so, I found myself admiring Elliot’s wholehearted devotion to God. And, I was encouraged in my own walk with God.
Most of us love the stories of Tolkien and Lewis portrayed on the big screen and read cozily under covers. I remember when Lord of the Rings first came out. It quickly became one of my favorite movie trilogies – and I still love to watch it today. I’ve not read all that the Inklings have written, but I’ve found their writing thoughtful and worthwhile. This biography of their lives will give you better insight into these authors. It also provides a thought-provoking commentary on their literature that will make you want to read more of their work. And – it made me wish I was a part of my own little inklings gathering.
3. The Liberal Arts Tradition: A Philosophy of Classical Christian Education by Kevin Clark
I love to read about all sorts of different philosophies of Education especially as it pertains to homeschooling. This year, I’ve studied the Classical method, and I’ve found so much worthwhile in it. This book gives an overview of Classical Christian Education. It summarizes the study of the liberal arts clearly and coherently. It even inspired me to want to study more widely myself to redeem my education.
This book was a lovely memoir about a homeschooling mother who is coming to the end of her motherhood journey (with kids at home). Cindy Rollins is real about the challenges and joys of homeschooling, and there is little fluff in this book. Instead, it is a rich and rewarding read.
5. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
I never read ‘the Anne books’ as a child. I thought this book was charming. It made me long for a life full of quiet books and reading – the slower pace of life found in the town where Anne lives. There is a lot of beauty in both the story and writing. This is an excellent example of Lewis’ saying that “No book is worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally (and often far more) worth reading at the age of fifty.”
Honorable Mentions:
These books were all worth reading (even if they weren’t in the top 5). They speak to current events and will make you think about the current culture.
- Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction Is Hijacking Our Kids — And How to Break the Trance by Nicholas Kardaras
- Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up by Abigail Shrier
- The Hundred-Year Lie: How to Protect Yourself from the Chemicals That Are Destroying Your Health by Randall Fitzgerald
My Reading Goals for 2025
Originally, I was planning on setting my goal at 52 books for the year, but I decided to push myself this year. The past few years I have met about 80 books a year, and after hitting 97 last year, my goal is to hit 100 (something that I’ve never done).
At the same time, I want to complete the AMBL book bingo challenge to read a little more widely this year. I also want to do a Shop My Shelf challenge and read through the books on my TBR stack (which is ridiculously large).
What are your reading goals for this year? Comment below!
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Until next time, keep creating a life you love and cultivating your heart for God.
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